That's the spirit

I am writing up and I have not done any work over the last two days as well... I think it is the work of something or other in the air.

I sympatheise with you. In your place I would probably have kicked her butt by now so credit goes to you for remaining so patient! I don't think I could have stood for anyone taking credit for my work! It is so not on.

Why don't you switch 2nd supervisors? In principle if you have problems with your 1st supervisor, the 2nd supervisor is there to patch things without taking sides. Sounds like in your case the purpose of having a 2nd supervisor is invalidated since they are "best friends". Find an alternative who can help with data interpretation. Try asking them for help in interpreting your data a couple of times. If you feel the alternative could work better, then tactfully change over to the alternative.

In the case of the non-feasible solutions your 2nd supervisor is getting you to do. Why not email your 1st and ask what she thinks of these solutions?

I disagree. The reason I said "my mum is great" is because she is my mum and I love her. I am not being objective. You either love or hate people around you. If it is an outsider then you only go with the facts surrounding their achievements; their research or business acumen etc.

It is hard for human beings to be objective. Everything is subjective.

I tried a fellow PhD students' tea today. All because he said it was fresh leaves and continued raving about it for 15 minutes. Turns out it has vanilla in it as well. YUCK!

My mum is brilliant at being a mum and teaching. She is also a born dipomat and has great communication skills and common sense (a very important and yet dying trait). But wouldn't a person look a bit off stating their family members as role models in an interview for a job or doctorate?

Including the hotel bill or just travel

and housing?

I found this excellent site on female scientists.

http://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/

I especially liked Rosalind Franklin, Mary Anning and Ada Byron. Curiously Marie Curie is not listed among the 16 women listed on the site.

Rosalind Franklin is a very good one. I like her story. I completely forgot about her.

Oprah did good in her business. It is an all-American rags to riches story. A role model for business women. Not academics.

I know she is not the best but who else is there?

One year and upgrade

Where did you go in the 1st year? Japan, Peru, Fiji?

When my younger sister was going through the process of getting a summer internship this year, one of the questions we anticipate that might come up in the interview was "Who is your role model?". And I am not one of those people who worship pop stars even though I am an eighties child. Considering that we are both females, it was quite hard to think of an academic or business female role model. We did better on the atheletic or human rights front (Mia Hamm, the Williams sisters, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Mother Theresa etc.) but ofcourse these are not so relevant.

Or maybe I know them and they are just not cropping up. I tried to think of a few but it is a short list - Margaret Thatcher, Oprah, Marie Curie (not really new or a paractical role model).

I can think of so many male ones... (and No Stu it is not because males are better)!